# The Second Temple of Jerusalem - The Book of Ezra and Haggai

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 25 Jan 2024, 13 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/e997fa80-1a1c-46d9-bef4-b4d601883d73/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 139. After 70 years in captivity, God moves King Cyrus of Persia to release the Jews and support them in rebuilding the temple. Despite initial setbacks from local opposition and their own distractions, the Jews are spurred on by the prophet Haggai's message from God. Haggai encourages them to prioritize God's temple over their own homes, leading to the successful completion of the temple, even if it seems less grand than Solomon's temple. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Let the gold and silver vessels of God's house, which
[0:04] Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple at Jerusalem and brought
[0:08] Speaker 1: to Babylon, he restored and brought again to the temple
[0:12] Speaker 1: at Jerusalem, everything to its place. Ezra 6.5 Dear God,
[0:18] Speaker 1: thank you that you always keep your promises. When you
[0:22] Speaker 1: say you love us, you mean it. And when you
[0:25] Speaker 1: say you restore what we've lost, you won't forget. You
[0:29] Speaker 1: do what you say you'll do so we can trust
[0:32] Speaker 1: you no matter what. Please teach us more about who
[0:36] Speaker 1: you are in today's story. Thank you for loving us
[0:39] Speaker 1: so much.
[0:40] Speaker 2: We love you too.
[0:42] Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen.
[0:45] Speaker 3: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:48] Speaker 3: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[0:52] Speaker 3: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world,
[0:56] Speaker 3: cultivate curiosity, and discover new interests. with hands-on crafts and
[1:00] Speaker 3: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more, all with a
[1:04] Speaker 3: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more
[1:10] Speaker 3: and save 20% with code blessed.
[1:19] Speaker 2: The Second Temple of Jerusalem In our last story, we
[1:24] Speaker 2: finished learning about the prophet Daniel and how he was
[1:27] Speaker 2: rescued from the lion's den and continued to receive visions
[1:31] Speaker 2: about the future. In this story, God's people will be
[1:35] Speaker 2: allowed to return home and rebuild the temple with struggle
[1:40] Speaker 2: but also encouragement. As inspired by Ezra and Haggai.
[1:49] Speaker 1: Hi again, it's Julianne Thompson, guest hosting for Julia Jeffress
[1:53] Speaker 1: Sadler with the Kids Bible in a Year podcast. I
[1:56] Speaker 1: am so excited you're here with me today. Today we're
[1:59] Speaker 1: gonna hear about how the Babylonian captivity finally came to
[2:03] Speaker 1: an end and how God kept his promises to the Jews.
[2:07] Speaker 1: Just as he said, it's such a good story. So
[2:11] Speaker 1: let's dive in.
[2:14] Speaker 2: God told the prophet Jeremiah, that the Jews would remain
[2:18] Speaker 2: in captivity for 70 years. When 70 years passed, God
[2:23] Speaker 2: convinced Cyrus, king of Persia, to release the Jews. King
[2:27] Speaker 2: Cyrus listened to God and told them, Return to your homeland, Judah,
[2:33] Speaker 2: and build a new temple for God in Jerusalem. This
[2:36] Speaker 2: is his will. To fund the temple construction, King Cyrus
[2:41] Speaker 2: donated goods like gold and silver. He also returned the
[2:45] Speaker 2: vessel's stolen from the old temple. With help from Cyrus
[2:49] Speaker 2: and other donors, the Jews gained supplies such as livestock
[2:53] Speaker 2: for sacrifices, cedar from Lebanon to penalize the inside of
[2:57] Speaker 2: the temple, and money for funding. Many of the Jews
[3:00] Speaker 2: left for Jerusalem to build the temple. Those that did
[3:04] Speaker 2: not go back contributed by donating. Upon arriving at Judah,
[3:08] Speaker 2: the leaders of families gave more goods to help fund
[3:12] Speaker 2: the temple. In Judah, God's people still wanted to make
[3:16] Speaker 2: sacrifices and worship God. Therefore, an altar was set up
[3:21] Speaker 2: on the rubble of the old temple to make offerings.
[3:24] Speaker 2: Then carpenters were hired, resources were gathered, and the building began.
[3:30] Speaker 2: God's people were joyfully ready to complete God's temple. While
[3:34] Speaker 2: the Jews were happy to be back home building, others
[3:37] Speaker 2: that lived in Jerusalem were not so happy. They tried
[3:41] Speaker 2: to stop the construction. But that wasn't successful, so they
[3:46] Speaker 2: wrote a letter of complaint to Persia's new ruler, Circes.
[3:51] Speaker 2: They said terrible things about the Jews to convince him
[3:54] Speaker 2: to halt the project. The king believed them and ordered
[3:58] Speaker 2: a halt. The carpenters could.
[4:00] Speaker 3: Not continue building.
[4:02] Speaker 2: While waiting for permission to build the temple, the people
[4:05] Speaker 2: constructed new houses. These were created using the wood from
[4:09] Speaker 2: Lebanon meant for the temple. This cedar was precious and irreplaceable.
[4:15] Speaker 2: They stopped working on God's temple and continued to use
[4:18] Speaker 2: up all the wood for their homes. During King Darius's
[4:23] Speaker 2: second year of reign, Haggai was a prophet called by
[4:26] Speaker 2: God to give a message that called the Jews away
[4:30] Speaker 2: from stalling and towards rebuilding. Haggai said, The Lord has
[4:35] Speaker 2: a message for you. He says, Look what you have done.
[4:40] Speaker 2: You stay in your house as The people were moved
[4:42] Speaker 2: by Haggai's message from God. They wanted to build the temple,
[4:44] Speaker 2: but they were anxious about the missing wood. Haggai said,
[4:47] Speaker 2: God says to find wood in the hills and use
[4:50] Speaker 2: that for the temple. Whatever you use to build won't
[5:12] Speaker 2: matter because God will be pleased. This temple will glorify
[5:16] Speaker 2: him as long as it is built. The people obeyed
[5:19] Speaker 2: God's instructions and got wood from the hills for paneling.
[5:24] Speaker 2: They were ready to start the project once again. A
[5:28] Speaker 2: new king ruled over Persia at this time. He heard
[5:31] Speaker 2: about the project and knew that some people in Jerusalem
[5:35] Speaker 2: tried to stop the construction. So he made a decree
[5:38] Speaker 2: that said, No one is to hinder the construction of
[5:42] Speaker 2: the temple. Otherwise, they will be sentenced to death. So
[5:47] Speaker 2: the other people could not stop the project but had
[5:50] Speaker 2: to give supplies. The Jews worked eagerly and the Lord noticed.
[5:55] Speaker 2: He sent a message through Haggai and told them, You
[5:58] Speaker 2: have done much with what was given. I am providing
[6:02] Speaker 2: and you are harvesting. I am pleased with your obedience.
[6:06] Speaker 2: As the temple was nearing its finishing touches, Some of
[6:09] Speaker 2: the older people remarked, Solomon's temple was greater than this one.
[6:14] Speaker 2: This temple is smaller and simpler. This disheartened the workers,
[6:19] Speaker 2: but Haggai came once again with a message from God.
[6:22] Speaker 2: Don't be discouraged. My glory will be greater in this
[6:26] Speaker 2: temple than it ever was in Solomon's. The whole world
[6:30] Speaker 2: will know this place, and I will make it holy ground.
[6:34] Speaker 2: Keep going, for I am right there with you. The
[6:38] Speaker 2: people were encouraged and finished building the temple.
[6:46] Speaker 1: Wow! Today's story is another example of an incredible truth
[6:52] Speaker 1: we keep seeing in the Bible. God always keeps his promises.
[6:57] Speaker 1: He is faithful to his people no matter what. That's
[7:01] Speaker 1: why you and I can always trust him. Let's look
[7:04] Speaker 1: back at what happened. The Babylonian captivity began when God
[7:09] Speaker 1: used Nebuchadnezzar, the king who conquered Jerusalem, to take the
[7:13] Speaker 1: Jews to Babylon. It was the Lord's discipline for their
[7:16] Speaker 1: terrible disobedience. The captivity ended exactly 70 years later, just
[7:23] Speaker 1: as the prophet Jeremiah said, when God used Cyrus, the
[7:27] Speaker 1: king who conquered Babylon, to send the Jews home again.
[7:30] Speaker 1: Here's another incredible truth from the Bible. When God keeps
[7:35] Speaker 1: his promises, he does it with pizzazz. In ways that
[7:39] Speaker 1: are more spectacular than we can imagine. So King Cyrus
[7:44] Speaker 1: didn't just say, hey, all you Jews, you can go
[7:47] Speaker 1: home now. No, he went over the top with spectacular generosity.
[7:53] Speaker 1: He said, hey, everybody, you should know that the Israel's
[7:57] Speaker 1: God is the God of the universe. He's so great
[8:01] Speaker 1: that I'm going to build him a temple in Jerusalem.
[8:04] Speaker 1: and put the Jews in charge. So give them whatever
[8:07] Speaker 1: you can to help rebuild God's house. Let's make this
[8:11] Speaker 1: temple awesome because God deserves the best. You see, Cyrus
[8:16] Speaker 1: had learned very quickly what Nebuchadnezzar had learned very slowly,
[8:21] Speaker 1: and Belshazzar didn't learn at all. The Lord is the
[8:25] Speaker 1: most high God and worthy of everything we have to give.
[8:29] Speaker 1: So just like the children of Israel left Egypt with
[8:32] Speaker 1: riches and wealth, From their neighbors? The Jewish people left
[8:36] Speaker 1: Babylon with riches and wealth from their neighbors. Cyrus even
[8:41] Speaker 1: gave back everything Nebuchadnezzar stole. All the silver and gold
[8:46] Speaker 1: dishes and bowls that belong in the temple. Now that's pizzazz.
[8:52] Speaker 1: You see, when God sets people free, he blesses them
[8:56] Speaker 1: with everything they need and more. So after Cyrus' decree,
[9:02] Speaker 1: over 42,000 Jewish boys and girls and moms and dads
[9:07] Speaker 1: and singers and priests and servants set out from Babylon
[9:11] Speaker 1: to finally, spectacularly go home. When they got there, they
[9:16] Speaker 1: happily began to build the temple. When they finished the altar,
[9:20] Speaker 1: they shouted for joy and sang, God is good and
[9:23] Speaker 1: his love endures forever so loudly that people far, far,
[9:27] Speaker 1: far away could hear it. But those people who'd moved
[9:32] Speaker 1: in while the Jews were out of town for 70
[9:34] Speaker 1: years didn't like it. Not at all. And because by then,
[9:40] Speaker 1: King Cyrus wasn't king in Babylon anymore, those crabby neighbors
[9:44] Speaker 1: sent a big fat lie to the new king, Xerxes.
[9:48] Speaker 2: They said, hey, king, you should.
[9:50] Speaker 1: Know that all those Jewish boys and girls and moms
[9:53] Speaker 1: and dads and singers and priests and servants aren't really
[9:57] Speaker 1: building a temple.
[9:59] Speaker 2: They're seekers.
[10:00] Speaker 1: Planning a rebellion, and they're going to quit paying taxes.
[10:05] Speaker 1: You should stop them. And because King Xerxes didn't know
[10:08] Speaker 1: the Jews or the Lord, he wrote back, Hmm, good idea.
[10:13] Speaker 2: Shut it down. What?
[10:15] Speaker 3: The Jews were heartbroken.
[10:17] Speaker 1: What was God doing? But this shows just one more
[10:21] Speaker 1: incredible truth from the Bible. Sometimes everything looks like it's
[10:26] Speaker 1: going wrong and it feels like God has forgotten you.
[10:30] Speaker 1: But he hasn't, not one bit. And he always keeps
[10:34] Speaker 1: his promises with pizzazz. You can trust him. Because after
[10:39] Speaker 1: Haggai prophesied God's encouragement to the Jews, they cheered up
[10:43] Speaker 1: and started building the temple again. And the crabby neighbors
[10:46] Speaker 1: started complaining to the king again. But because by then
[10:50] Speaker 1: King Xerxes wasn't king in Babylon anymore, the new king, Darius,
[10:55] Speaker 1: searched the records and found King Cyrus's decree. So he
[10:58] Speaker 1: wrote back, hey, everybody, you should know that I want
[11:01] Speaker 1: the Jews to rebuild their temple. And because when God
[11:05] Speaker 1: sets people free, he blesses them with everything they need
[11:09] Speaker 1: and more. King Darius added, and I want the cost
[11:12] Speaker 1: to come out of your budget. He made those complainers
[11:16] Speaker 1: pay for the temple they were complaining about. Now that's pizzazz.
[11:22] Speaker 1: I'm so glad you joined me for today's story. Come
[11:25] Speaker 1: back next time to see what happens when a Jewish
[11:28] Speaker 1: girl with a lovely heart wins a very important beauty pageant. Remember,
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[11:37] Speaker 1: story to you. And it's all true. Had a blast
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[11:47] Speaker 1: for listening to Pray.com's Kids Bible in a Year. For
[11:50] Speaker 1: more inspiring stories and wisdom to last a lifetime, download
[11:54] Speaker 1: the Pray.com app for free today. See you next time.
[12:05] Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Kids Bible in a Year. I
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